The trio is now charged with nine thefts and robberies during the summer of 2023.
The robberies and thefts were committed over a period of six weeks and took place in several places in southern Sweden, including Nybro, Emmaboda, Växjö and Olofström.
– All the plaintiffs are older and have worn one or more gold chains around their necks. The defendants have cooperated with each other to seek contact with the plaintiffs, tear off their gold necklaces and quickly leave the scene, says assistant prosecutor Nina Erlandsson in an email response to SVT.
The two men and the woman, who are in their 30s and 40s, were arrested on August 13 – and have been in custody since then.
“Became psychologically affected”
Some of the victims have received injuries in connection with the collar yanking – while others have experienced that it happened so quickly that they barely had time to react.
– None of the plaintiffs have suffered serious physical injuries. On the other hand, the gold chains have had a great emotional value for several of the vulnerable. Several of the plaintiffs have been psychologically affected, says Nina Erlandsson.
According to the indictment, it is a crime of a particularly ruthless nature as it was systematic and targeted at elderly and vulnerable people.